Air in clutch lines!!!!

[Willy]

I've been getting problems lately getting in and out of gears, particularly when it's been running a while or first thing in the morning. The clutch pedal gets very spongy.

There is still plenty of clutch fluid in the reservoir (it's full) and it doesn't ever seem to drop. I thought I'd bleed the clutch the other day and there were heaps of bubbles coming out of it. The fluid was very black, so it needed changing anyway. I kept bleedingit for about 20 minutes or more and the air didn't stop coming out!!! I can't see any leaking around the pedal or on the slave cylinder. So I have no idea how this air is getting in. Any ideas what it could be? It's weird that airs getting in, but it doesn't use any fluid.

Am I bleeding it correctly? Get someone to push down the pedal, put a tube on the bleed nipple, loosen it off, let the air/fluid come out. Tighten it again, get them to lift the pedal and do it all again. Keep doing it until the air stops coming out.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Fast Guy]

Assuming there isn't a hole in the flexi hose letting air in. You may have opened the bleed nipple too far and air is getting in around that. When your fluid goes black it tends to be an indication that your master cylinder needs an overhaul or replacing.

 

[J-GTi-R]

As Fast Guy said, it's usually a sign that the seals have gone.

 

[Willy]

OK thanks.

I might have another shot and bleeding it and if that doesn't work, I'll have to look at getting the master cylinder seals replaced. It looks like getting the master cylinder out could be interesting.

Yesterday I drove the car, the clutch was real spongy when I first got in it. I then pumped the clutch a lot and it become hard again and it was fine for the rest of the 20min drive. It seems to be when it's left for a while that it starts playing up.

 

[charlie]

mine's started doing the same recently- just spongy for the first few presses of the clutch. It must be slave cylinder because i only had the master fitted a year or so ago